Part 9 (1/2)
She ignored my rudeness
”You look very bad, Maurice,” she responded, almost in a whisper, as we moved towards the house I was acutely conscious that the others atching my retreat; especially that inquisitive little Vereker wo to hate When we entered the dusk of the drawing-rooe of those curious eyes, I turned on my cousin
”Mary--for God's sake--don't let that woman--or any one else, speak of--Anne--in connection with Cassavetti,” I said, in a hoarse undertone
”Anne! Why, what on earth do you , except that he's considerably upset,” said Jim's hearty voice, close at hand He had followed us in frouests, little wo in the world except this murder affair Try frocks and frills; when A her; and if they won't serve, try palmistry and spooks and all that rubbish Leave Maurice to er, and inclined to make an ass of himself even more than usual! Off with you!”
Mary h
”All right; I'll obey orders for once, you dear, wise old Jih”
She own; and Jim laid a heavy, kindly hand on -room and feed, and then tellto tell,” I persisted ”But I guess you're right, and hunger's what's wrong with ood ry now I came to think of it--and Jim waited on me solicitously He seemed somehow relieved that I manifested a keen appetite
”That's better,” he said, as I declined cheese, and lighted a cigarette
”'When in difficulties have a square inal, and worth its weight in gold I give it you for nothing Now about this affair; it's edy You know, or suspect, that Anne Pendennis is mixed up in it?”
”I neither know nor suspect any such thing,” I said deliberately I had recovered my self-possession, and the lie, I knew, sounded like truth, or would have done so to any one but Jim Cayley
”Then your manner just noas inexplicable,” he retorted quietly ”Now, just hearto bluff irl Well, I'ed that she's handsoh, as I told you once before, she's a coquette to her finger-tips That's one of her characteristics, that she can't be held responsible for, any more than she can help the color of her hair, which is natural and not touched up, like Amy Vereker's, for instance! Besides, Mary loves her; and that's a sufficient proof, to me, that she is 'O K' in one way You love her, too; but men are proverbially fools where a handso at, Jim?” I asked At any other time I would have resented his homily, as I had done before, but noanted to find out how , my boy I suspect, and you know, or I'm very much mistaken, that Anne Pendennis had some connection with this ht that she had neverbetween them I saw that, and so did you; and I saw, too, that her treath Heaven knohy she employed it! I can't attempt to fathom her motive I believe she loves you, as you love her; but that she's not a free agent She's not like an ordinary English girl whose antecedents are known to every one about her She, and her father, too, are involved in soues, I'm pretty sure, as this unfortunate Cassavetti was I don't say that she was responsible for the murder I don't believe she was, or that she had any personal hand in it--”
I had listened as if spellbound, but now I breathed more freely
Whatever his suspicions were, they did not include that she was actually present when Cassavetti was done to death
”But she waswas nothing ht,” he continued ”And--I tell you this for her sake, as well as for your own, Maurice--your ae or suspicion of the facts Man alive, you profess to love Anne Pendennis; you do love her; I'll concede that ed, or condemned to penal servitude for life?”
CHAPTER IX
NOT AT BERLIN
”Hanged, or condemned to penal servitude for life”
There fell a dead silence after Jim Cayley uttered those ominous words
He waited for me to speak, but for a minute or more I was dumb He had voiced the fear that had been on uely ever since I broke open the door and saw Cassavetti's corpse; and that had taken definite shape when I heard Free ”a red-haired woman”
And yetsuspicion I kept assuring myself passionately that she was, she must be, innocent; I would stake my life on it!